Author: lindenheritage

Linden Heritage Foundation holds 2016 Meeting of the Board of Directors

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linden text logo1The first meeting of the 2016 Board of Directors for the Linden Heritage Foundation was held January 23rd at the Linden Garden Club in Linden, Texas.  Directors present were: Sam Higdon, Joe B. Lovelace, Sue Lazara, Jana Bounds, John Knapp, Anna Barber, Gail Dorgan, and Kay Stephens.  Jim Jacob and Barbara Teachey participated via Skype.  Ron Calhoun, Kerry Wells, and Susan Whatley were absent.  Acting-President Sam Higdon called for nominations for the election of Officers.  Running unopposed and securing unanimous votes, the following individuals were elected:  President – Sam L. Higdon; Vice-President for Preservation & Education – Sue Morris Lazara; Vice-President for Marketing & Development – Joe B. Lovelace; Vice-President for Information Technologies – James S. (Jim) Jacob; Secretary – John Knapp; and Chief Financial Officer – Jana Bounds.

In accordance with the Bylaws of the Foundation, Directors drew lots to decide their length of term.  The outcome follows:

1-year term – Jana Bounds, Ron Calhoun, James S. Jacob, John Knapp, and Joe Lovelace

2-year term – Gail Dorgan, Sue Lazara, Barbara Teachey, and Susan Whatley

3-year term – Anna Barber, Sam Higdon, Kay Stephens, and Kerry Wells

Following the election of Officers, President Higdon appointed Kay Stephens as Parliamentarian.  Joe B. Lovelace presented a written Consent Amendment to change the wording “Active Membership” to “Individual Membership” in the Bylaws in order to reconcile them with other Foundation membership material.  The matter passed by unanimous consent, which negated the 30-day notice requirement for a change in the Bylaws under Roberts Rules of Order.

A reception for the Charter Members of the Foundation was set for Saturday, April 23, 2016 (Wildflower Trails Weekend) from 5:00 until 6:00 pm at the home of Charter Member Ruth Halleck.  A Hospitality Committee was appointed to assist Halleck.  The members are Anna Barber, Charlotte Bennett Wells, Mary Janet Wells, and Wanda Ayers Burns.  In the event that any of these members are unable to assist, President Higdon will appoint other members.  Higdon then appointed Joe Lovelace, John Knapp, and Sam Higdon to prepare a draft of a certificate to be presented to Foundation Charter Members at the reception.  By unanimous consent, $700 was allocated to cover the cost of printing, packaging, and mailing certificate to those not in attendance which also includes the cost of the reception.

Sue Lazara reported on the Texas Preservation Trust Fund Grant (TPTF Grant) due January 29, 2016.  The grant is available only to buildings which are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.  If the TPTF Grant application is successful, a more detailed Planning Grant outline, which must include input from a professional preservation architect, must be submitted in April.  Lazara shared that ARCHITEXAS, a Dallas architectural firm who specializes in the preservation work, has expressed an interest in the Firehouse project.  A preliminary bid of $29,500 has been received that covers preparation of full Plans and Specifications.  ARCHITEXAS is the firm who led preparation of the Plans and Specifications for the Cass Count Courthouse’s restoration.  If approved, the TPTF Grant would cover half of the Plans and Specifications fees ($14,750).  The Foundation would raise the remaining half of the money.  Lazara suggested allocating $5,000 towards the Match Fund for the TPTF Fund, with the Foundation raising $10,000 from the business community in the region, should the grant be awarded.  The motion was passed unanimously by the Board.

The subject of Skype and the problems encountered with audio during the January 23rd meeting were discussed.  By consensus of the Directors, it was agreed to conduct experimental meetings to try to solve some of the issues so that remote Directors could participate fully in all future meetings.

The final item on the agenda was to set the next Board of Director’s Meeting for Sunday, March 6, at 7:30 pm CST.  The meeting will be conducted via Skype; and Lazara invited all local members of the Board to gather at her house in order to improve the quality of Skype video by reducing the number of participating links.  President Higdon adjourned the meeting at 4:46 pm.

The Foundation thanks Gail Dorgan for preparing this summary of the Board Meeting based on the recorded minutes.  Official minutes will be posted on our Documents Page after their approval.

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Linden Heritage Foundation Holds First Annual Meeting of the Membership

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Sam Higdon, Foundation President, welcome members to the first Annual Meeting of the Membership. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.
Sam Higdon, Foundation President, welcomes members to the first Annual Meeting of the Membership. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.

The Linden Heritage Foundation held its First Annual Meeting of the Membership on January 23, 2016, at 2:00 pm at the Linden Garden Club building in Linden, Texas.  Thirty-seven members were present, along with three members attending via Skype, for a total of 40 members in attendance as of the call to order by President Sam L. Higdon.  The first agenda item was the report of the Nominating Committee comprised of Jeanie Stevens, Wanda Burns, and Sandra Skoog.  Mrs. Skoog proposed the committee’s selections of 13 names as a slate of Directors.  President Higdon asked for additional nominations from the floor, and upon receiving none, the quorum present voted.  Unanimously elected to the Linden Heritage Foundation Board of Directors were: Anna Barber, Jana Clinkscales Bounds, Ron Calhoun, Gail Dorgan, Sam L. Higdon, James S. (Jim) Jacob, John Knapp, Sue Morris Lazara, Joe B. Lovelace, Kay Temple Stephens, Barbara Teachey, Kerry Wells, and Susan Brown Whatley.

Chief Financial Officer, Jana Bounds, review financial statement. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.
Chief Financial Officer, Jana Bounds, present Foundation’s  financial statement. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.

Following the nomination of the Board, Jana Bounds presented the financial report of the Foundation.  Total revenues since September 1, 2015, were $24,210.01 plus interest of $1.85.  Expenditures to date were $5,047.99, leaving a balance of $19,163.87 as of January 22, 2016.

 

Upon acceptance of the financial report, President Higdon called upon Sue Lazara to report on the progress of the Request for Proposals (RFP) on the Linden Water Tower and Firehouse and the finding of the Foundation’s Research Committee.  The RFP draft, the result a joint resolution seeking appropriate development and preservation projects around the Water Tower and Firehouse, was approved by the Linden City Council on January 11, 2016.  The Research Committee, chaired by Lazara and composed of Gail Dorgan, Catherine Knapp, and Kay Temple Stephens, transcribed city and county records, as well as historic press archives of the 1930s with emphasis on Public Works Administration improvements in downtown Linden.  The research documents historic and architectural credentials which were included in the January 4, 2016, request for Determination of Eligibility (DOE) for the 1934 Water Tower and the 1939 Firehouse to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sue Lazara addressed Preservation activities with John Knapp, new Foundation Secreatry seated next to her. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.
Founding Director Sue Lazara addressed Preservation activities with John Knapp seated next to her. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.

On January 8, 2016, Lazara received a reply from Gregory Smith, National Register Coordinator of the History Programs Division of the Texas Historical Commission, stating that both the Water Tower and the Firehouse were eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Smith recommended that instead of listing the two properties individually, to consider a larger downtown historic district, centered on Linden’s Courthouse Square.  The favorable DOE ruling makes the properties eligible for major tax advantages.  Lazara reported that the Deed of Conveyance from the City of Linden to the Foundation has been executed and duly recorded; and that the Foundation had secured the window openings and exposed wood of the Firehouse to protect it from further deterioration.  The Firehouse was nominated by the Foundation to be placed on the 2016 Texas’ Most Endangered Places List.  An announcement on the ruling will be made on February 18, 2016 at the Preservation Texas Summit in Austin to which the Foundation has been invited to attend and network with other historic preservation professionals.  Lazara’s final report concerned the grant application to the Texas Preservation Trust Fund, which will submitted no later than January 29, 2016.  This proposal is a request for funding that carries a 1:1 match requirement if approved.

Joe B. Lovelace addressed development activities of the Foundation. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.
Joe B. Lovelace addressed development activities of the Foundation. Photo by Jo Anna Duncan.

Founding Director Joe B. Lovelace then took the floor to discuss the purpose and timing of the RFP which is expected to be issued in the Spring of 2016.  He next introduced Bob Swisher, Linden City Administrator, who was invited to speak.  Mr. Swisher thanked the Foundation for its work and reported on the formation of the City of Linden’s 2025 Committee, which includes several Foundation members.  Lovelace next introduced Emily Henderson, Executive Director of Linden Economic Development Council, who made brief remarks in support of the efforts of the various groups to promote Linden.  Lovelace then introduced Mary Dowd who explained previous efforts of the City of Linden to be designated as a Texas Main Street City, for which Linden qualified, but lacked the budget of approximately $30,000 and the assignment of present city staff to serve as a Main Street Manager.  This issue will be revisited at a later date by the 2025 Committee.

A reception was held for all members in attendance at the close of the Annual Membership Meeting, followed by short business meeting for the new Board of Directors.

The Foundation thanks Gail Dorgan for preparing this summary of the meeting based on the recorded minutes.  Official minutes will be posted on our Documents Page after their approval.

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Only One Day Left to Add Your Name to the List of Foundation Charter Members

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Image courtesy of taesmileland at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of taesmileland at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Thursday is not only the last day of 2015, it is also the last day to add your name or honor someone else by adding their name to the list of Linden Heritage Foundation Charter Members.

For information about joining or donating to the Foundation, either by check or online payment, click this membership link.

 

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Linden Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity

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Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Linden Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity.  Membership dues and donations are tax deductible.  Success will be possible only through your friendship and support.

Charter Memberships are available ONLY until 31 December 2015.

For information about joining or donation to the Linden Heritage Foundation, either by check or by online payment, click this membership link.

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From “Far, Far Away”

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DSC_0078 (2)Sai​​n and Nigar Alizada run a family-owned translation agency in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a small country on the shore of the Caspian Sea, the world’s largest lake.  When they joined as Charter Members of the Linden Heritage Foundation, we asked them why they were supporting a Foundation nearly 7,000 miles from their hometown.  Sain agreed to allow us to publish his response.

“We came of age with the Eagles.  I was only 14 and just beginning to discover music, still unsure of which genre or artist I liked, when the Hell Freezes Over album was released.  The moment I  heard the acoustic introduction to Hotel California,  I was totally blown away.  I loved every song.  The music was so different from everything I had heard before.  It was even before the Internet, at least in our part of the world, so it took me some time to figure out who the band members were, how many albums they had in their catalogue, who played what, and who was behind those heavenly harmonies.  I was discovering their albums one by one.  It was an unforgettable experience because I could not easily find them in Azerbaijan in those days.  I was too young to have a credit card and order anything online.  Each album was a challenge to get; and the harder it was to get them, the more I could appreciate it. The more I listened, the more I liked the Eagles. The power of their music and songs was just irresistible. It was pure magic.”

“After so many years, the band has become a huge part of my life.  I have a huge collection of their memorabilia and records, which is big enough to be used as a museum.  I have 27 different versions of the Hotel California LP album alone – different pressings from different countries. I attended their first concert in Hamburg, Germany in 2006.  Nigar and I have attended 28 Eagles concerts around the globe.  In May of 2015, we attended a solo performance by Don at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival, Cherokee, Texas and three concerts in his Cass County Tour in the fall.”

“Baku may be ‘Far, Far Away’ from Linden but we hold a common desire to maintain our rich culture and heritage.  When we learned of the Linden Heritage Foundation, we felt a need to join to do our part.  We are proud to be able to contribute to maintaining the culture and heritage of Mr. Henley’s hometown.  We hope this will also help increase awareness about our home country, Azerbaijan, in your part of Texas.”

#DonHenley
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